How Do I
by alltogether.seperate
Summary: Anna and Yoh are in a big delima and Anna is actually feeling emotionally upset about it. How is Yoh, the carefree husband, supposed to calm down his crying wife in a situation like this? R&R!


_**this is a short one-shot about Yoh and Anna in their twenties...after having Hana.**_

_**see Yoh does in one of Anna's "low times".**_

_**Hope you like it.**_

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"Here Anna, I've got the…"

A now twenty-two-year-old Yoh Asakura had just came from the convenient store across the road and walked up the hill to where Anna and he were sitting in the ankle-high grass enjoying the breeze that blew across the earth. It was a beautiful day and the two were taking a well deserved rest after traveling nonstop for about a week. Time had really gotten away from them since they began traversing together a few years ago.

Hao had given them a task…a task that only the two of them could handle. They were to change to the world, make it a better place. And so they left behind their home and belongings to do just that. So far, progress was slow and steady, but the two were persistent, traveling from country-to-country, learning new languages, negotiating with companies and government officials, and being on many television talk shows always discussing shamanism and spirits. Some of it was received and at other times, it wasn't.

It had been a bumpy ride for the both of them. They needed a break from all of the rustle and bustle they'd experienced, so the two set off for their hometown, Izumo, Japan. They were three quarters of the way there when they stopped at a familiar convenient store (which was actually where they went for their first unofficial date. Yoh was probably the only one who remembered it since he thought it was sooo important) before making the final stretch home.

Yoh had cut his sentence short because of the look he saw Anna have on her flawless face as he came up to her. She was sitting Indian-style staring up at the clouds with her hands clasped together in her lap with a rare expression of slight worry on her face. Just looking at her made the shaman blush. Even he knew that he was married to such a rare beauty but every fiber in Yoh's being told him that something was wrong. She was looking up at the sky so intently, something he had never seen her do in his life. It kind of reminded him **of him**.

"Anna…" he addressed her again since she didn't even flinch let alone look in his direction when he walked up next to her, sat down, and handed her the cup of coffee he had bought from the store to her. "Are you ok?"

She hardly even acknowledged him. Her only response was a slight sigh she let escape her mouth. She received his purchase with one hand taking a small sip out of it and put it onto the ground next to her. She then suddenly fell back onto the grass (which shocked him) and pulled Yoh's arm hard enough to pull him down to where he hovered directly above her (which shocked him even more).

"Anna…!" he didn't know how to respond to her unusual behavior. She was acting so strange. He just hovered above her with his long black hair tickling her forehead and the fact that she had a vulnerable disposition was making him feel even more uncomfortable with the situation. Her face was unsure and her bright almond eyes glistened under the shadow his body was casting over her. She appeared like she was on the verge of crying and she looked up at him with such an enduring expression, asking, _**begging**_ him for an answer he couldn't give her.

"Anna…" he addressed her once again as calmly as he possibly could. At this point, he was ready to lift her off the ground and just embrace his wife…anything to get that look of dismay off her face. "Tell me, what's wrong."

Her mouth slightly opened and four words slowly came out that Yoh thought he would never hear her say.

"I can't do this…"

"What do you mean?" he asked still trying to grasp her words. What **DID** she mean? What she said seemed so inconceivable to him. The words she spoke seemed so out of place that goose bumps ran across his skin. What was she talking about? In another moment, she looked as if she regretted even saying anything. She turned her heard darting her eyes away in an instant and the tears rolled down her cheek.

"I can't face him. I…I spent so long trying to convince myself that what we did was ok..."

She was still speaking in abstract. It was complicated, even for him to understand. Yoh just waited in solemn anticipation trying to decipher the meaning to her words. For as long as he had been engaged and married to this woman, there were still so many things he didn't understand about her. Even as he listened, he felt like she was on a totally different level of thinking. It was times like this that he wondered if his carefree personality she said she had fallen in love with so long ago was worth living if it meant watching his wife take on so much responsibility by herself. Eh, maybe he was thinking too hard…maybe he wasn't. One thing was for certain. He was bound to never really know the true answer. Somehow, he was sure of it.

"…Yoh, was it right to leave Hana alone?"

His heart suddenly softened and sank all in one. Everything she was thinking about so desperately suddenly became clear to him.

It all made sense now.

She was worried about facing their son.

Yoh finally spoke, "Anna, we had no choice but to leave him while we traveled. You said it yourself."

She frowned, "Don't you dare remind me," she suddenly snapped which made Yoh instinctively flinch. Her face returned to sadness almost instantaneously, "Even to this day, I regretted even thinking those words. We promised not to leave him alone."

There was no arguing with her there. Even when they were young, having children was a major issue (more to her than to him). They swore to be faithful to their kids and would always be there for them (that is…if Anna ever let Yoh make such advances on her to have said children). Then, time went on and things changed. Yoh didn't become Shaman King and because of their circumstances, and they had to leave their son behind…two promises very dear to Anna were now broken.

"What am I supposed to say to him once we get home…that there more important things that I had to do that didn't concern you?" Anna's rhetorical question brought on an even heavier atmosphere. Yoh was at a loss for words. He himself had to come to grips with it. What was he supposed to say to HIS son…the very child _**HE**_ named…the very child he was **_so proud of_** having as his own?

This was indeed a heavy thought to dwell on. To Yoh, seeing Anna vulnerable like this was a shot to his pride. He had promised to never allow her to get overwhelmed enough to cry like this again. And here they were. She was uncomfortable, unsure, and worried. And he was just sitting there, diffident of what to say to her. He wanted to calm her down, but he was totally incapable of doing so. What kind of husband was he?

And what was he doing? He was out of his comfort zone as well. His usual lackadaisical personality was being overwhelmed by a heavy atmosphere of reverence. It felt alien to him. A knot developed in the pit of his stomach. This wasn't right. How was he supposed to help Anna when they were both in the same state?

"Please…Yoh," her bottom lip began to tremble as her teary wide eyes stared into his. "Tell me what I should do."

Then, the answer suddenly became clear to him….the way he could help her.

Why hadn't he thought of it sooner? This was not the time for him to crumble under the pressure. He always thought optimistically and now wasn't the time nor the place to stop. His optimism was the reason why he made friends so easily, the reason Hao changed his mind about destroying the human, and the reason why Anna loved him. Even in impossible and out of the question situations, he was always the hope and light in the midst of darkness. He needed to be strong. He needed to be there for her. She needed him and that's all that mattered.

His smile suddenly caught Anna off guard.

He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips letting his hair fall about her neck and shoulders. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him embracing the overwhelming comfort she was receiving from him, breathing a sigh of sudden relief. In the midst of her disheveled mind, he somehow always knew how to bring her back into the protection of his love and care. Her worries didn't matter anymore when she was in his arms.

"Everything will work out in the end," he whispered into her ear. She had heard him say that same sentence thousands of times and it always surprised her hearing the amount of confidence that lingered on that one sentence. Every time, she believed him, no matter how annoying he might have been at the time. And up until now, he hadn't been wrong. So, she put her trust into what he said.

He lifted her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her as well, "Have faith Anna. He's our son. I'm sure he'll understand. All we have to do is explain things to him."

It was such a simple and ignorant thing to say, but when it came out of Yoh's mouth, she felt so relieved to hear him say it. All the weight of guilt was lifted off her shoulders in an instant.

She hugged him tightly and put her head on his shoulder closing her watery eyes, "I believe you. Thank you."

"You're welcome…and good," he snickered taking her by the hand. "Then, let's get going shall we?"

The two walked down the grassy hill and continued their trek down the dusty road into Izumo. Anna turned to him suddenly with a slight frown on her face.

"If you so as much think about telling the others about me losing face just now, I swear I'll kill you and send your soul to Hell."

He giggled turning to her and kissing her on the forehead, "Tehe, I understand. My lips are sealed." But he distinctively knew that deep down; she was totally capable of doing just that. So, until the day he died, he never, ever, EVER spoke a word of it.

She suddenly gave him a smile which automatically made his face red, "I love you Yoh."

"I-I love you too," he finally said embarrassed.

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_**(Let it be noted that when Yoh and Anna finally got home, they were greeted by Hana immediately who abruptly gave his father a Left Welcome Home Kick to the crotch. Anna didn't have to worry about disappointing her son afterwards. Such an understanding family…)**_

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Hope you liked it! xD**_


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